Page 42 - index

2023 ‫מועד קיץ‬ - 41 - ‫ פרק ראשון‬- ‫אנגלית‬

Text II (Questions 18-22)

(1) The lemming is a type of rodent indigenous to the Arctic. Lemmings are famous
for their cyclical population explosions – sharp increases in birthrate that recur
approximately every four years. At the height of these population explosions, the
lemmings, apparently driven by deep-rooted impulses, run off cliffs by the thousands,

(5) to be dashed to their deaths on the rocks below. This allegedly suicidal behavior has
become a metaphor for the actions of large crowds of people who mindlessly follow one
another, heedless of the consequences.

It is now known, however, that lemmings do not actually commit mass suicide.
Rather, when their population increases drastically, overcrowding and food depletion
(10) compel the lemmings to migrate to less densely populated areas. Unfortunately, the

geographic features of the Arctic are such that the migrating lemmings often find
themselves channeled into narrow mountain passes. The lemmings feel trapped in the
confined space and experience social friction and distress. Mass panic ensues, with
lemmings fleeing in all possible directions and sometimes falling off cliffs.

(15) It was the 1958 Disney Studios film White Wilderness that popularized the
misconception of the "lemming suicide plunge". The filmmakers staged a plunge-to-
the-death sequence by herding lemmings over a cliff and into a river. Evidently, they
considered the lives of a few dozen rodents worth sacrificing for the sake of exciting
footage.

Questions

18. In line 5, the word "allegedly" is used to -

(1) cast doubt on the suicidal nature of the lemmings' behavior
(2) emphasize the similarity between lemmings and humans
(3) differentiate between lemming behavior before and after population explosions
(4) illustrate the long-term effects of lemming mass suicide

19. The main purpose of the second paragraph is to -

(1) list the social factors governing lemming migration
(2) discuss the periodic fluctuations in lemming populations
(3) explain why lemmings fall to their deaths
(4) describe the migration routes of lemmings

)‫© כל הזכויות שמורות למרכז ארצי לבחינות ולהערכה (ע"ר‬
.‫ בלא אישור בכתב מהמרכז הארצי לבחינות ולהערכה‬- ‫ כולה או חלקים ממנה‬- ‫ או ללמדה‬,‫אין להעתיק או להפיץ בחינה זו או קטעים ממנה בכל צורה ובכל אמצעי‬